No. It is not a good idea to feed deer. Feeding deer makes them vulnerable to predation and vehicle collisions, among other things. Fed deer tend to travel more in the winter going between feeding sites and exhaust their fat stores. Unfed deer tend to travel less, stay in natural winter deer yards, and conserve their resources to survive the winter -- the natural survival strategies that have served them for eons.

Please Don't Feed The Deer! Under 4 VAC 15-40-285, it is unlawful to feed or attract deer from September 1 through the first Saturday in January. Nor, upon written notification by department personnel, shall any person continue to place or distribute any food, salt, mineral or similar substances for any purpose if the placement of these materials results in the attraction of and/or feeding of deer.

BOB: As deer continue to overrun our residential landscapes, homeowners must be more concerned about protecting their ornamental plants, especially during winter when heavier browsing occurs. There are 3 ways to protect your plantings, and we feel proper plant choices and exclusion are the two that work the best in the long run. Here are your 3 choices: Exclusion - Through the use of fencing or mesh, keep the deer away from plants.

The crackers we feed the animals are specially made by a company in Minnesota. The crackers, made for parks and zoos, have non-iodized salt and no seasonings. Deer are not able to absorb the iodine that is present in "human" salt. Their stomachs will fill with fluids as they try to absorb the iodine. This can result in the death of the animal.

Some people think that feeding "people food" to pets will give them diarrhea and turn them into beggars at dinnertime. Depending on what you feed them and where, loose stools and begging can be avoided. Here are some simple guidelines to follow. First, when we say it’s o.k. to feed “people food”, we are not talking about potato chips, chocolate cake, and onion rings – these thing are sure to give your pet a tummy ache.

It is fine if you pre-grind your plants for storage over the winter. I would recommend that you store the ground plants by their parts - flower petals in one container, leaves in another, roots in a third. This will give you the option of using the individual portions when you need them. If you are going to pre-grind your plants I would suggest you develop a generic blessing you can concentrate on while you grind.

Yes, trees can be pruned any season including winter. Some tree species, such as birches or maples exude more sap when pruned in the spring, and such large quantities of sap can be unsightly. Also sap exuded from a tree after pruning can turn black if mildew grows in this sweet water solution. Excess sap can be washed off trees with a hose before the water evaporates and the residual sugar hardens.

Yes, as long as the leasee is in accordance with state game laws. Any violations of state game laws will result in immediate cancellation.

Laboratory pellets or lab blocks, as they are referred to, should be considered to be your rat's basic diet. These blocks are nutritionally balanced for rats and mice and are used exclusively by many laboratories and breeders as the animals' entire diet. Lab blocks have been formulated to meet a rat's nutritional needs and recommended brands are Teklad, Hagen, and Kaytee blocks. Rat and Mouse grain mix is available in most pet stores, but should only be fed as a treat a couple times a week.

Yes, it's never too late to begin and never early enough to start. I personally began feeding my own cat when he was 15? and he only got remarkably healthier and stronger. He loved the food as well and immediately took to it. This was a cat who ate commercial pet food all his life until I began making his food.

Rice probably has no nutritional value for song birds and the rice grains aren't a big bird food favorite. It is unlikely that they will eat it, but the best test is to try a little and watch the birds' reaction. Probably the reason churches, synagogues or city halls suggest NOT throwing rice after a wedding ceremony is that since the birds don't eat it, the clean up is tedious. The rice merely accumulates in the grass and between sidewalk cracks.

They can live quite happily, through the coldest winter, if they have an insulated coop or a light inside their coop. The smaller the coop, the easier it is for them to keep it warm. Birds can get frostbite. Birds with large combs tend to be more susceptible. Also, some breeds are just hardier than others.

The question of supplemental winter feeding has been debated, often passionately, for many years. While there are no absolute answers, and perhaps rare exceptions, the prevailing opinion now holds that winter feeding of turkeys is an unwise practice.

Offer them mealworms, plain fruit or suet mixed with fruit. Another option is to get beef suet from the meat counter at the grocery store and use a grater to shred it into "worms" for the birds.

Veterinarians generally do not recommend feeding milk to our feline friends. A cat's digestive system does not digest milk well. Feeding milk to your cat can cause diarrhea, which can lead to further nutritional problems (your cat won't be able to absorb nutrients from his food).

Though grains are used as a cheap filler in commercial pet foods, it isn't because they are good for your pets...it's to make more profit, usually at the expense of your pet's health. Grains are not a natural food for dogs. It is not something they would eat in the wild. Those grains they would have access to would be in small quantities eaten from the stomachs of prey animals that had (in the right season) eaten some grasses that had seeded.

We agree with veterinarians who strongly believe that feeding pets table scraps or "people" food can lead to excesses or deficiencies of nutrients in your pet's diet which over time may result in health problems. Therefore, we do not recommend feeding any food other than Science Diet® or Prescription Diet® food, unless your veterinarian recommends otherwise.

Often the best answers come from the birds themselves. If the birds don't like what you're feeding, they won't eat it. Try the popcorn kernels, but put them up on a platform or hopper-style feeder so you are less likely to attract unwanted visitors such as rodents.

Wolf Haven has a permit to obtain road kill. Deer and elk are the only animals that we deem appropriate for our needs. There are strict criteria that the road killed carcass must meet prior to being fed out. If the carcass is deemed safe to feed to our animals we then freeze the carcass for a minimum of 24 hours to kill all ectoparasites.

The number of hosts the deer tick feeds on is governed by its lifecycle. Please see our section on deer tick ecology for a complete description of the two-year deer tick lifecycle.